I looked for a thread that would fit this, but I didn't find anything, so here goes.

I feel pretty bad for some of my ranting and raving at TV shows when the show ended up not deserving it. For instance, ER. Yeah, it should have been put out to pasture a few years ago, and yeah, it's jumped the shark and that shark's entire extended family.

But for two things my rage was ultimately undeserved, and I'm sorry. The break up of Carol and Doug was strange, weird, uncomfortable. The semi-romance with Luka was awkward and so obviously a setup to keep Carol around if Julianna Margulies stayed. But the surprise reunion with Doug was the best romantic payoff in primetime TV in my lifetime.

And the Luka/Abby thing. I hated you, ER, for breaking them up purely to make Carter a romantic centerpiece. But it allowed Luka and Abby to both grow separately so that when they did get back together, they could finally work instead of being such independent messes.

So I'm sorry, ER. You were right. I was wrong.

About just these two things, though. Don't get a big head.

Dear B&B:

Right now, you're goin' through a rough patch, which makes me realize how underappreciated you were in years past. That realization brings me to this apology:

Remember when Brooke created BeLieF and the Forresters were trying to cheat her out of her stake in the company? I was outraged when Stephanie guilted Ridge into trying to seduce Brooke into signing the papers to give the Forresters the formula, leaving her with nothing. I ranted and raved whenever Brooke actually signed the papers. I mourned whenever Ridge trotted back to his mother and mother-approved wife, Taylor, with the papers. (Which, by the way, is why I hate/hated Taylor: Stephanie "approved".)

But, hark! Ridge picked up the wrong set of papers, the ones that Brooke didn't sign! And then, at nearly the same time, Stephanie and Ridge realized that they had the wrong set of papers. Brooke later came in, revealed that she knew all about their plan, ripped the papers and reached waaaaaay back


HERE!

...and slapped the taste out of Stephanie's mouth. It was a "Bravo!" moment.

I'm sorry I doubted you, then. So, I hope that eventually you'll leave the "Passions-esque" storylines alone and get back to the lovin' and leavin' and schemin' that B&B is known for, as well as moments like the BeLieF reveal.

My apologies,
AtlanticVamp

Dear Later Writers of The West Wing,

I was extremely pessimistic about you just after Season 5. I knew that this new darker, less funny, less idealistic show wasn't the perfect show I'd fallen in love with because Aaron Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme weren't there. I was convinced that this new groups of writers just couldn't write politics in a charming, relatable way and I was just prepared for even worse in S6. I was waiting for you to increase upping the angst factor and selling the characters' integrity for a cheap thrill. I tuned in for S6 really because I loved the actors even though I was expecting the worst.

When Season 6 started, I was hardly optimistic. Giving Leo a heart attack and taking him out of power. Giving CJ, the friggin' the Press Secretary, the Chief of Staff. I adore CJ like any other reasonable person, but the hell?! Audience fears that you were going to separate the characters for a campaign story just made me angrier.

Well, until I saw this campaign story. You created two great candidates that I would vote for a heartbeat. The campaign trail may have looked different than my elegant White House sets, but you kept the same idealism, the same fondness for oratory, and the same love letter to public service. Hell, it kicked the Bartlet/Ritchie election's ass all over town. On top of this, the election between Vinick and Santos was a thrilling long-running storyline with so satisfying twists and turns. Many of your new characters besides Vinick and Santos became classic characters like Lou, Annabeth, and Shelia. You kept Josh flawed, while still making him the hero of the party that I continued to adore to the end. I even ended up enjoying CJ as the COS. Technically accurate? Not really, but it it made for wonderful character development. You gave me the chance to enjoy my beloved Sam for one last time, while still keeping him in character and not devolving the show into a maudlin reunion.

So, I apologize for thinking that only Aaron Sorkin could write The West Wing. I apologize for being so initially set in my ways that I was terrified of seeing a different format of the show that I had fallen in love with. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You ended my favorite show with a bang and I only wished the magic could have continued for longer.

Love,

wwhk

PS: I've rewatched S5 and while it's by far my least favorite season, it was much better than I remembered,.

Dear Lost,

I am so sorry that I lost faith in you. You led me astray but this last season you pulled it all together and made me realize why I fell in love with you in the first place.

Dear Swingtown,

I dismissed you as summer fluff and only started watching because I love 70s nostalgia and I needed something to pass the time. Little did I know that by the second or third episode, you'd draw me in with some fascinating characters and story arcs. It became obvious from the beginning that swinging was just a minor plot point of your show and the real topics would be about the social, political and gender-role changes of the time.

I'm sorry and I truly hope your show is not canceled. I'm very interested in what's going to happen to the characters.